Shadows
by MattWilson83
Summary: Some time after the end of the war, a new battle has caused the loss of a hero. As the loss is dealt with shadows of the past and present arise in the aftermath of tragedy.
1. Loss

**So, this is my new fanfiction. While I have an overall story worked out, it is ever evolving, so feel free to make comments and ask questions in the reviews.  
While I HAVE put a mature rating on this, I am currently unsure on whether there will be any lemons in this series, though there will be opportunities I can forsee. Lol.**

Anyway, Enjoy this new story. The first chapter is kinda sad though, and I will be working on chapter 2 when I have time, a little each day I hope. :D And again, please leave reviews.

**Chapter 1: Loss.**

The Mission had ended in disaster.

Naruto was gone.

It was no Fourth Shinobi War, but the field lay strewn with bodies, blood seeping in to the ground and the puddles formed by rain as it fell from the sky in waves of heavy drops.  
Nobody even seemed to care they were getting soaked as they lay on the ground, or wandered amongst their comrades, rushing back and forth, assessing the situation and damage to the Konoha forces.

Groans echoed out, emanating from the injured, crying for help and relief from the pain that tortured them.  
The medical core working tirelessly and quickly to deal with the worst cases first, as junior medics dealt with smaller injuries on the field, in the pouring rain.

"I need more bandages to seal those wounds." Sakura cried as she held her glowing hands over the chest of a shinobi, lay before her, covered in blood, an arm missing, and several other wounds throughout his torn up blood stained body. "I SAID I NEED MORE BANDAGES!" she cried, as no one had yet to respond to her request. Her face was serious and focused, blood was all over her too, but none of it was hers, per-say for a few minor cuts here and there.

The ninja below her, coughed up more blood, as his body convulsed from pain, and failures throughout his body.

"Hang in there, you'll be ok. I was trained by Lady Tsunade herself." Sakura said, trying to but on a smile, though she was having trouble from panicking. Her hands shaking not only from the cold, but the days wear on her.

"Hey… no… problem… right… L-Lady… Haruno…" the shinobi below her smiled, his breathing shallow and wheezy, blood still gurgling up from his throat, as if he was drowning.

Despite she wasn't familiar with him, she had garnered respect as a top class medical kunoichi and fighter. She smiled down to him, thankful for his confidence. Only for it to be shattered, as she stared at his retracting pupils.  
Her whole body trembled as the blood drained from her face, the moment he had finished his sentence, he had passed on; his injuries just too severe.

Sakura wanted to cry, her whole body wanted to scream, but she held it back, and stopping her medical jutsu, moved a hand to the fallen shinobis' face, and passing over it, closing his eyes.

"Lady Haruno, the bandages." Came a voice, she was ready to punch someone, and turned with a scowl. The unsuspecting shinobi the brunt of her powerful glare, before she realised, it was a young male genin, maybe only 14, and not even of the medical core. They were so stretched right now, normal genin were running about for them.

Her demeanour quickly surrendered the tension, and her trembling form relaxed itself. "Thank you, but… we'll be moving to the next patient." She said, her voice low and breaking, as she got up.

"Lady Haruno?!" the young genin blinked, before looking down, the realisation that the patient was lost. "I was… too slow?" he gasped.

"No… I couldn't… I tried but…" Sakura said, she was angry, upset, tired, stressed. She wanted to scream, to curl up and cry, how many had she lost today, while under her supposedly healing hands? How many of the hundred shinobi were lost in total? Though one would come to mind, and to a painful heart.

"Lady Haruno?" the genin looked to her, worried as Sakura stared off blankly in to space, her mind elsewhere, and saddened.

A flash.

The sky opening up.

Moments later, the rumble of an explosion, followed by wind, hot on the skin, pushing the rain away, as if it had stopped, and then, silence.

Eyes looking skyward, tears appearing in many, as disbelief fell hard, denial of what they had witnessed.

Sakura's emerald eyes darting over, across several metres to her raven haired comrade, Hinata as she fell to her knees, Kiba and Shino rushing to her side.  
Her eyes once again moving upwards, as her vision blurred from tears, her body tensing, her fists clenching, her chest tightening before a scream escaped, and the rain returning

"NARUTOOOOOOOO!"

"Lady Haruno?" The young genin said again, Sakura snapping out of her day dream… more like nightmare. If it wasn't for the rain, her tears would have been seen streaming down her cheeks.

"R-Right… next patient." She said, once again swallowing her own pains to push on with her duties.

Together with the young genin they moved on down the line of injured ninja to find who to help next, the lost ninja left to lay in the mud and rain until his corpse could be properly, and respectfully dealt with. 

Far to the side, sat under the trees that surrounded the clearing were dozens of shinobi. Most injured with cuts, bruises, dressed in bandages, but many just exhausted from the battle that had taken place. Teams gathering to take care of their comrades if they could, all out of the pouring rain and cold. Fires being set up to help combat this, and dry out those who could get close enough, and watching as the medical corps tried their best to save those who could not be moved yet out of the cold rain and wind, and away from the blood stained mud that ran in small rivers with the water, their injuries severe enough to not let them be moved.

Hinata didn't watch.  
Her head was leaning on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs to keep them up, sat quietly. She had been sobbing heavily for some time, ever since she awoke from her fainting.

The shock had been too much for her; a flash, a boom, and he was gone, the love of her life had sacrificed himself to put an end to the ceaseless violence that had come at them.  
Her mind was closed to all but him, to Naruto Uzumaki, hero of the leaf, who had always given his all, sacrificed all he had to win, and had finally given the last ounce he had left to sacrifice; only this time, his sacrifice was permanent.  
She was sure this mission would be called 'a victory'. An evil had been removed from the world, an evil that had threatened the stability of this part of the land of fire. A victory, they would call it; but to Hinata, a victory that had come at too great a cost.

Kiba and Shino were next to her, not sure what to say, Akamaru nuzzling her arm a little, but without response.

They had never seen Hinata so lost and despondent, and who could blame her. For the last couple of months she and Naruto had become much closer. The last war had changed a lot of things, some for the better, and others for the worse.

They had lost many in the fourth shinobi war, the strengths of the five great villages had waned due to this, and smaller villages had been trying to benefit from it, and taking the opportunity to usurp influence. The Daimyo's while peaceful, each began taking credit for portions of the victory, each claiming they had more influence in the outcome than the other shinobi villages.  
Though only the fire Daimyo could lay claim to having Naruto, the primary hero of the war, and who everyone was calling the shinobi hero.  
This had simply reasserted tensions after a few weeks of peace.

_"Has nobody learned from this war, dattebayo!" he groaned, as he and Hinata walked together through a peacefully quiet part of the village._

"Naruto-kun, I… I believe many have, but, people are people." Hinata said, before shyly looking down with a blush and pressing her forefingers together in a tenting motion. "As… as much as we dislike it, people argue, get angry, and fight. But… they also make up, and forgive."

Naruto looked to her, blinking, before smiling.

"Yeah." He chuckled, grinning wider as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just hoped that they would have learned something about peace."

"Naruto… I… I believe it has." Hinata said. "Even if the Daimyo's are steeped in matters of tension, the five shinobi villages are in a unity not seen since the first Hokage's day."

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, a little confused.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded with a cute smile and blush. "And even as things change, which unfortunately, is certain to happen, as long as there is someone out there like you, willing to sacrifice everything to bring the world together, then there is always hope."

"Hope, huh?" he smiled. "You know… you're pretty smart, Hinata." Hinata blushed at the compliment, as Naruto put an arm around her. "So why did you ever fall for an idiot like me?" he joked.

"N-Naruto-ku…" she went to say, wanting to defend the idiot comment, her face turning to him, only to have her lips stolen by his.

Wasn't sure what happened after that, her face burst with heat, and then blackness, only to awaken at home some time later, with a note left by Naruto.

'Hinata, I had a great time again today. Maybe for our third date we should hit the theatre, Princess Koyuki has a new film out I wanna see, you wanna go?  
Also, I want you to know, that you're right, as long as I am here, hope will be present. I promise I won't let you, or anyone else I hold dear down.

Naruto.'

She smiled at the letter, knowing full well he meant it, and it made her feel safe and warm.

Right now, Hinata was cold, trembling, and crying. Her heart was pounding pain through her weary frame every moment. It ached for its other half, yearning and reaching out for it, with nothing in reach.

"Na…ru... to…" she muttered.

"Huh?!" Kiba blinked. "Hinata, you say something?"

"Naru…to…" she muttered again. "Where is… Naruto?"

Kiba looked to Shino, not sure what to say. They all saw it, they all knew what had happened high above their heads, and Naruto's… fate.

"He's… not here." Kiba said, not wanting to say 'dead', his head hanging low, trying not to feel the pain he not only felt for losing one friend, but the pain he felt for her ain as well.

She just buried her head again, and tensed up, muttering Naruto's name again.  
Shino put a hand on Kiba's shoulder as they both looked to Hinata; they had seen such changes in her over the years; changes brought on by the blonde haired knuckle-head, and the day she and Naruto were officially a couple, she had glowed brightly with a happy energy that beamed itself in to everyone around her, like a contagious emotion that just made everyone feel as her.

It was the happiest day of her life when Naruto, the hero of the leaf, her lifelong crush finally took her hand and asked her out on a date.

It wasn't a flashy event, and Naruto was just as red as she was at the time; but he gave his usual smirk, rubbed the back of his neck, and said _"Hey, Hinata, wanna go get some ramen. We can call it date if you would like to."_ And with a nervous chuckle afterwards, he looked to her, expectant of an answer.

Kiba and Shino knew how hard this would be on Hinata, the brightness she had the last few months with Naruto, was gone; her love was gone, in flash of chakra, burning the sky, meant for them all, he was taken from this world. 

It still rained across the battlefield, and Sakura was finally resting under a tree, her work done as those who loved, were moved to better cover, and those who didn't, were left under the falling sky. She scanned over it, her body trembling, her mind going over all that had happened.

How many had they lost?

How many while her hands were trying to save them?

How many had begged her for relief… and how many had she said would be ok before they would expire before her?  
Tears formed in her eyes, she couldn't count…. she couldn't think…. She didn't want to!  
She grabbed her head and closed her eyes tightly, and she buried her head between her knees

She didn't want to think!

She didn't want to know!

She wanted to shut away from the world!

But as the doors of her mind closed around her, one came to mind for her, only one was too important to her to not totally shut everything out. Her best friend, Naruto, was gone.  
If there was anything she could never forget, it was him. Even the most painful moment would be allowed to enter her mind, and with that lone thought, she cried, after the longest day of keeping back the tears, she finally had time to cry. 

**So, that was the first chapter, next chapter is their return to Konoha, and the revelation of what exactly happened in this battle, and what the mission was.**

A common theme in this series will be that flashbacks will be prominent throughout, hence the title 'shadows' as in 'the shadows of our past'. There is another reason but well…. Spoilers ;)

**Anyway, please leave reviews, they will help me evolve this story along the main plot line :) **

**Until next chapter, NHFTW!**


	2. Return to Konoha

**Chapter 2 is here, and it was a long one… hopefully you'll enjoy it and not find the story too boring or over dramatic XD**

**Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and any questions, I will try to answer, no plot spoilers, but if you find some things confusing.**

**For confirmation, NaruHina (as always for me XD) is the main pairing, and will be seen in flashback a lot since well… Naruto is… yeah, anyway…**

**As for other pairings, still up in the air, though it's possible there might be SasuSaku.**

**As for OC's, I'm not sure who, if any, I might use. If you there are some you would like to see, just comment, and I'll consider it ;)**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter. : )  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Return to Konoha.**

The gates were open as always; inviting to the visitors who crossed its threshold. But today, its inviting presence was dampened as the small army of shinobi walked by, carrying it's wounded, and it's dead.  
More shinobi had come to the aid of the fallen, their return of the utmost priority.

It was silent as they entered, the atmosphere growing thick, so thick that even those that weren't sensitive could feel the effect of their group misery.  
The long walk back had been the same. No one really talked. They all felt the sorrow of each other, for the loss of many, and of the one.

The mission was a success, they would say, they all knew it. Mission complete, but at great cost. A cost more to some, than others, but a loss felt none-the-less.

Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of Konoha awaited them in her office, staring out the window, she too was one of the ones who would feel this loss. Her mind yet to accept what words had told her in black upon a page. Her heart denying what the mind held true, and sending them in to conflict. For now, she held on to hope, on to a mistake that must have happened, and her favourite blonde ninja would walk through her door as usual with his grin would light up the room before his mouth filled it with happiness.

But, her heart was die for disappointment.

Tsunade bashed her fist on her desk, the wooden furniture bursting from it, paperwork flying everywhere as she cried out in pain.

Before her stood Sakura, her body covered in dried dirt and blood, her green eyes looking at her sensei blankly.

"How could this happen?" Tsunade cried out, angry.

"It just… did." Sakura muttered.

"Just did?!" Tsunade growled. "Just… DID?!" She yelled.

"Lady Tsunade, please." Shizune said, putting aside her own shock to calm her lifelong sensei, by putting her hands on her arms. "Please, can't you see how tired she is?"

Tsunade looked at Sakura, who was still stood there, blankly looking at her… or towards her, her gaze unfocused on anything.

It was then Tsunade lost her anger, and approached her pink haired student, and held her, tightly. "I'm sorry, Sakura." She said.

Sakura sniffled, as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Tsunade, trying not to cry, but, tears still leaking from her eyes.

* * *

At the Hyuuga compound, Hinata was awaiting a hot bath to be drawn for her, and sat on her bed, quietly, staring at her feet. Her clothes were dirty, but she didn't care about the mess that was getting on to her sheets, she was numb all over, all she felt was a stirring sickness in her stomach, a sickness she had suffered with for days.  
She wanted to throw up, but always fell short of actually releasing the contents of her stomach; not that she had eaten anything since the day of the battle, it was through sheer force, and her team-mates constant insistence that she at least drink something, that she managed that much.

She had cried herself dry over the last few days, and said barely a word; what was there to even say?  
Her sister Hanabi had asked her what had happened when she returned; but nothing was said.  
Her father, concerned at for her demeanour asked what had transpired; but nothing was said.  
The servants in the house had asked her if she required anything; but nothing was said.

Her father ordered a bath to be made ready for her, and to bring her some tea; Hinata said nothing, and just went to her room, to sit, and wait; and nothing was said.  
She was on autopilot, consciously aware, yet subconsciously disconnected, as if everything she was seeing was a detached dream.

Hanabi eventually sat with her, not saying anything, and held on to her sister's arm, cuddling it. Hinata responding only by resting her head on her younger sisters.

Hinata needed the comfort, but she was so numb right now, and that sickness in her stomach, just wanting her to throw up, all the time, coming in waves.

"Hanabi…" She muttered.

"Yes?" the young sibling replied.

"He…. Died." She muttered.

"…who?" Hanabi asked. News had yet to reach the public of what had happened, all that was known, was that their missions had suffered, when back up was sent. Their arrival had stirred much talk, even in the shirt time that had passed by, but nothing on the one that mattered to Hinata.

"Naruto…" she said. "Naruto… died."

Hanabi gasped, shocked. She had never seen her sister more confident than when she was with Naruto, never so happy, because of him, and he was gone?  
She took her sisters hand and held it, a tear in her own eye. She couldn't know Hinata's pain, but she knew what that pain was now, and she felt for her sister deeply.

"I am so sorry Hinata." She said, as Hinata turned to her, her sad eyes appearing to hers.  
Hanabi held her sister, to comfort her.  
Hinata would have cried if she had the tears, but all she managed was a whimper against Hanabi, as they held each other tightly.

* * *

_"Are you kidding me?" Hanabi gasped as she watched her sister going through her closet in a panic._

_"Y-Yes!" she replied, "AHHH! I have nothing to wear!"_

_"I have to hear this again… you have a date with Naruto?!" Hanabi asked, the shock still ringing in her hear, making her need to hear it again._

_"Yes, Hanabi, I have a date with Naruto!" Hinata said, "Now leave me alone, I need to find something to wear!" Hinata whined._

_"What's wrong with all your dresses?!" Hanabi asked, blinking._

_"I cannot go on a date with these… He'll not think I am pretty enough!" She said._

_"Oh! Ypu wanna look all sexy, huh?" Hanabi chuckled._

_"W-well… attractive." She said. "Like Sakura."_

_"Saku…" Hanabi blinked. "I thought he was going on a date with you?"_

_"Of course he is…" she said, suddenly standing sill, and looking in a daze. "A… date with… N-Naruto…" she muttered, before her face went crimson, and she gave a yelp of happiness._

_She kept looking, until finally she pulled out a small red dress, quite different from her more innocent fashion._

_"This one!" she smiled. "Ino talked me in to buying this one once, and I never wore it!" She held it to her front and stood in front of the mirror. "Is it sexy?"_

_Hanabi smiled."Ok… so something skimpy, and low cut neckline to show off your chest, and a short skirt that shows off your thighs, and all tight enough to leave little to the imagination. It's nice."_

_Hinata turned to Hanabi and gasped, her face red. "Th-that makes it s-sound slutty!" she complained. "It is… sexy… perhaps. Right?"_

_"Sexy, slutty, same thing." Hanabi said._

_"N-No it is not!" Hinata said, almost beginning to cry. "I just… I just want to…" tears began to run down her cheek, as she began to panic._

_"W-Whoa! Hinata, calm down." Hanabi gasped, shocked at her sisters' reaction, and rushing to her side. "Listen, he asked you out, didn't he? So, shouldn't you just be yourself?"_

_"B-but what if I'm not good enough?" she said. "I have dreamt of this moment for so long, I need to make an impression!"_

_"I don't think trying to be something you're not is gonna help." Hanabi said, with a raised eye brow._

_"I… I'm not sexy?" she pouted, wide eyed and teary._

_Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Right… you need to calm down and get your head straight." She said. "You're letting this get WAY too complicated for what it is."_

_Hinata looked to Hanabi, as she began to do breathing motions, and she soon began to do the same, her over excited mind beginning to calm down, and relax, allowing her thoughts to finally come together._

_"I… I am sorry, Hanabi." She said._

_"Yeah. I know you love the guy, but…" Hanabi said, making Hinata blush deeply at the word love. "But you once said that one thing you loved about him was that he wasn't scared to be himself, failure or success. Do you really want to date him if it meant you weren't yourself?"_

_Hinata shook her head quietly, and then smiled to Hanabi. "Thank you… you are right, of course." She said, sounding more confident, and determined. "How can I thank you fpr helping me calm down?"_

_"You can name your first daughter after me." She chuckled, as she teased her sister._  
_Her eyes were closed when she did it, so she never saw what made the THUD sound a few moments later, but as she opened them, and looked to find the source, she could only guess it was Hinata, who now lay on the floor, bright red and unconscious. "AHHHH! HINATA!" she cried out.  
_

* * *

Hinata had been so happy that day, and their first date had gone well, even if it was a simple outing. Ramen and a walk.  
She had walked around on air for days after that, lost in the memory of her date with Naruto. The biggest smile she had ever had never leaving her face the whole time, a smile that Hanabi feared would never again grace her sisters lips.

Hanabi cuddled her sister, saddened at her lost.  
Her bath would be ready soon, and the dirt that had Hanabi now had transferred on to herself meant she too might need one.

She didn't care though, her sister had lost the one person she lived for, and had to wonder, what could be worse?

* * *

As the day passed, the news encircled the village that their hero of the leaf, saviour of the shinobi world, had died in battle.

What had exactly happened was sketchy, and as any whisper, the story evolved grew with each re-telling, the teller embellishing it from a fractured image of a fractured story, retold ten times before they had even heard it, and would go for ten times after more likely.

Some said Naruto had fought a giant of a man, twelve feet tall, who radiated chakra that rivalled the Jyuubi. Others turned the enemy in to an army of hundreds, that rivalled the Konoha group six to one, and Naruto had stretched himself too thin, and left himself vulnerable. Even some old opinions and fears rose up through the course of it, saying that the nine-tailed fox had claimed yet another victim, and turned on his 'master' and Naruto sacrificed himself to keep the demon beast from escaping.

So many versions existed by nightfall, that the truth, if it had even begun with it, had long since been lost, say for two facts; The battle was hard, and Naruto had died.

The fact was, no one was talking just yet, not fully. Muttering only disjointed facts, if anything, which only served for others to fill in the gaps.  
No one really wanted to talk about it.

Even Sakura, who was now lay in bed, washed and dressed in a loose t-shirt and shorts hadn't said anything.  
Tsunade had personally brought her home, her parents immediately concerned, as Sakura broke down when she saw them, and clutching them as she cried.

As she looked at her ceiling, the events played out over and over in her mind, the shadows cast from the lights outside in to her unlit room, dancing.

Her eyes widened though as she saw a familiar shadow, and shot up looking out the window. It couldn't be?

"Naruto?!" she gasped, but nothing, she looked to where the shadow had been, and it had gone.

She held her head, did she just imagine her best friend had come to her window?

She lay back down, and turned her head to her bedside table. Hanging on a framed picture of team seven as genin was a tag. A small wooden plate, no bigger than coin, which had string tied to it, to make a necklace. Etched in to the wood was the Hiraishin seal.  
Naruto had given her this when he first learned to perform the jutsu. He had to all his closest friends in the rookie nine, and the circle beyond them.  
She reached out and grabbed it, bringing it to her.

She held it tightly, closing her eyes "Naruto…" she muttered quietly to herself.  
And as she did, she felt something wash over her, a chilly sensation, and when she opened her eyes…

Kizashi and Mebuki were in their chairs, relaxing as best they could while still worrying over their daughter, who lay alone upstairs.  
Mebuki wanted to comfort her daughter, but Sakura just wanted some time alone, but when they heard a loud scream, they shot up, and in a flash had burst in to Sakura's room.

"Sakura?!" Mebuki called out. Their daughter in the corner of her room, eyes filled with tears, and shaking like a leaf clinging to a branch on a windy day.

"What happened?!" Kizashi asked as her parents moved to her.

"A… A shadow…" she said.

"A shadow?" Mebuki blinked. "Sweety, shadows can't hurt you."

"B-But this one was… it was trying to get me." She said. "M-Mom… it was trying to hurt me!"

Hizashi and Mebuki looked to each other.

"You just had a nightmare." Hizashi said. "You probably fell asleep."

Sakura looked to them, her brain kicking in, now that she felt safe. "It… It felt so real…" she said.

"You're stressed." Her father said. "Listen, why not come relax with me and your mother. The company will do you good."

Sakura nodded, mainly because she didn't feel like being alone right now, the strange 'dream' she had to suppose had shook her up.

It had been so real, when she opened her eyes, the shadows on the ceiling had darkened, and a figure was there, reaching out, like a black cloud, reaching for her, what she could only guess was a hand reaching for her, before it vanished in an instant when she screamed.

As she left the room, she dropped the Hiraishin tag on her vanity desk.

* * *

The following morning soon came, and as much hard kept feelings were still inside of the shinobi, a report on what happened had to be given.

All morning Tsunade received reports from the few of the five team leaders that made up the controlling ranks of the group, who had served under the command of Naruto command team.

Tsunade knew she would have to get a report from Sakura too, who had headed the medics assigned to the force, but wanted to leave her a bit longer.

Kiba was one of the five leaders. Lead to the tracking division of the force.

"I've heard a lot of what happened, Kiba. A lot has been… said… and repeated, but there are also inconsistancies, as their usually is when multiple people tell the same story." Tsunade said, from her seat behind a new desk which had been delievered just that morning. Shizune well prepared for times Tsunade lost her temper. "So… Let's hear it from your perspective."

"Should I start with the whole mission? Or jut the final battle?" Kiba asked.

The question made Tsunade pause. "The final battle." She replied.

Kiba nodded.

"Well, we'd been tracking the rogue force for two days when we caught up to them at last." He began…

* * *

_"Send a messenger back to the main force." Kiba ordered a chuunin. "Tell Naruto where we've found them."_

_The chuunin nodded, and soon disappeaered in a blur of speed in to the tree's._

_Kiba turned and looked out in to the distance, in the direction of the enemy camp, far ahead._

_"They look ready for a battle." Hinata said, her byakugan activated. "There seems to be more than we first thought too."_

_"Not much we can do about that." Kiba said. "Hey Shino, how are the bug coming?" he asked._

_"I've sent them out, we won't lose track of them again once they are in place." Shino said._

_"Good." Kiba said, sighing._

_"Are you ok, Kiba?" Hinata asked._

_"Yeah." He chuckled. "First command… you know."_

_Hinata smiled sweetly as she deactivated her Byakugan, and turned to her friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing a good job, Kiba." She said. "Nruto wouldn't have chosen you to lead this group if he didn't think you were up to the job."_

_"Yeah, but Shino's more of a leader than I am." Kiba said._

_"Thank you." Shino said. "But, Naruto knows my strength comes from thinking, and advising."_

_"Yeah… and never repeat this, but you're smarter than I am." He said, chuckling a little._

_"I am sure Naruto knew what he was doing when he chose you to take point." Shino said._

_Hinata smiled. "I am certain he did." She agreed with Shino._

_Kiba smiled. "Well, maybe next time I'll have the sense to say no." he chuckled._

_It was an amusing scene for the team, until Hinata started looking uncomfortable._

_"Are you still not feeling well?" Kiba asked._

_"I am fine." She said._

_"I should have ordered you to stay back." Kiba said. "You're still feeling ill."_

_"I am fine, it is just a stomach virus." She said. "Naruto needed all of us."_

_"Still..." Kiba said. "I'm going to recommend you take time off once this mission is over, all the physical stress hasn't helped. You'd be over it by now if you were at home resting."_

_Hinata blushed in embarrassment. "I know." She said, "But, when Naruto said he was gathering our team… I couldn't stay home, not when he needed us."_

_"Always looking to impress your boyfriend, huh?" Kiba teased, making his teammate blush. "Six months of dating and you're still trying to impress him."_

_Hinata blushed more. "I know, I just cannot help it." She said._

_ A few hours pass before Naruto and the rest of the shinobi force arrive. He had separated the group, sending a third of the force left, and a third right, so they would encompass the camp, surrounding it with shinobi, and making sure there was no escape for the enemy they had tracked._

_Naruto was looking concerned, as he and Sakura followed with the remaining third of the force._  
_Hinata, Kiba and Shino noticed, and the Hyuuga heiress moving up to him, worried._

_"Naruto, what is wrong?" she asked him, as she put a hand on his arm._

_He just frowned. "Be prepared for anything." Was all he said, "You have your tag I gave you?"_

_Hinata nodded, pulling the small wooden tag with the Hiraishin seal on it out of her chuunin vest jacket._  
_Kiba and Shino did the same. This seemed to make Naruto relax a little._

_"What's wrong?" Kiba asked, a serious look on his face, it was obvious something had come up._

_"We might have a problem." He replied. "We received some intel that several of their higher ranks, are high class jounin."_

_"That's all?" Kiba chuckled. "We'll deal with them."_

_Naruto half smiled at the confidence, but it still worried him. "Most of our force are Chuunin, we have very few Jounin with us." He explained. "I'm concerned that we'll lose people. So Kiba, I need you and Akamaru on the eastern line. Shino, I need you to take battle command of the western, they're expecting you. Hinata, stick with me, I need your Byakugan for a battle field overview so I can keep a review of the battle, and Hiraishin between hotspots if I need to." Naruto pulled out his radio, followed by the others. "We're all locked to channel 3, so keep in contact."_

_They all nodded, Shino, and Kiba, with Akamaru in tow, head off to their respective sides.  
_

* * *

Tsunade looked to Kiba. So, they had an intelligence report during it, and Naruto had deployed them to fight in different areas of the field.

"So, what happened?" she asked Kiba.

"I'm… not too sure." He said. "We got the word to attack, and the battle began. It was going well, and then I was getting reports through the headset of the northern line being in trouble. Naruto had moved there to help out." Kiba looked down. "It must have been then when everything went to hell. I heard the north line collapsing I heard Hinata calling out, Sakura was defending too. But we were flooded by enemy. Rain began pouring down on us, mud slowed us down, made us slip." He looked up to Tsunade. "And then, Naruto, hundreds of clones appeared out of nowhere, and began collecting several bodies before disappearing and then… then… there was a huge explosion in the sky above us, a burst chakra so…" he looked down again. "It was Naruto… somehow we all knew it, no one told us, but we all did, like… a wave of his spirit washed over us all. It wasn't until I found Hinata and Sakura that I really knew."

Tsunade looked to him, the memory of it still running hard across his face.

"That's pretty much what I've been told." She said. "I'll have to talk to Sakura or Hinata next, to find out what caused that explosion."

"Please… leave Hinata." Kiba asked. "She… she's taken this really hard."

"I know… she was dating Naruto." Tsunade said. "And Sakura… she's taken it hard too."

"Yeah." Kiba said. "You should have seen her though afterwards."

"Hmm?" Tsunade responded, wondering what he meant.

"We had so many wounded, and she kept going, doing her job." Kiba said. "Even those she couldn't save, she just moved on."

Tsunade looked down, that would explain more of her detachment the previous day, losing a patient in the field was hard, and from the medical reports, they had lost quite a few, how many Sakura had tried to save was probably a lot, as she was chief medic for the mission, and would have taken on all the worst cases… and in most, from the coroner's reports, died during signs of healing jutsu.

This was the worst thing to happen to a medic beyond losing a friend or a loved one under your own healing hands. She knew that one well enough.

Tsunade knew she would have to have a serious talk with Sakura about the mission, and her feelings over the medical issues she faced on the field.

But for now, she would have to postpone it.

"Thank you Kiba." Tsunade said. "If I need anything else, I will call you."

Kiba bowed his head. "Of course." He said.

When he was finally gone, Tsunade leant back in her chair, and sighed. "How did it go so wrong?"

"It… happens." Shizune said. "It is not the first time a mission has taken a turn for the worse, and we have lost many. But never such… a close loss… not since…"

"Dan?" Tsunade added before she could, lowering her head.

* * *

Sakura was stood outside her bedroom, the door closed. She had been stood there for some time just drawing up the courage to enter.

Why was she so scared by a dream? That shadowy spectre that she must have imagined making her too nervous to enter even her own room.

She took a deep breath, and cleared her mind, reminding herself of one fact, 'it was a dream, that is all' before twisting the doorknob and opening it up. As it swung open, she half expected the shadow to jump out at her, but the inside was clear, and it's usual bright inviting self.

She stepped inside and smiled. Almost giving a chuckle to herself for being silly.

She began to select clothes to change in to. She still had to have her shower too, she had slept in almost the entire morning, not waking until late lunch when her parents were out.  
They had left a note for her saying how they had wanted to let her sleep, and for her to take as much time as she needed to rest, and recuperate, and sealed with a sign of their love for their daughter at the bottom.

As she looked for what to wear, half-hearted to her usual enthusiastic energy when choosing what to wear. It just wasn't there this morning, the reason for it had gone, there was nothing she really looked forward to that day, or anyone she wanted to at least try for.  
Save for a certain Uchiha; not that he would notice anyway.  
Since his 'pardon' by the shinobi villages for his role in the Great War, and thanks to a few words from the hero, Naruto, he had returned to the village in a bid to become Hokage, and rebuild the name of Uchiha.  
It had restarted the rivalry between him and Naruto as they both began vying for the same high rank missions to crank up their mission profiles, and to get the best record in the village.  
But despite this, they did spend time together, hanging out as team seven always used to, and even trained together.  
In fact, despite he never said it, he preferred sparring with Naruto, and Naruto only. The only one who he considered equal to him now, an opinion long since changed from their academy days; but Sakura knew.

But, despite this, Sasuke wasn't the most sociable person still, choosing to train by himself, or work on his 'plan' for the revival of the Uchiha clan.  
His team of Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin continued to be by his side though, and were officially classed as 'contracted shinobi' to Konoha. While not official, they were exclusive to Sasuke's missions as his independent team, and with so many Shinobi having been lost in the last shinobi war, and jobs going to the smaller villages, they needed all they could get until their forces were once again up in strength.

Karin… Sakura and she did not get along, she was always clinging to him, or as near to him as she could be. Sakura's jealousy usually getting the better of her, and often sparked into flame by Karin, who tormented Sakura in to losing her temper, and act as if she had done nothing.  
Many times this made Sasuke turn to Sakura in annoyance of her behaviour, and all the while, Karin would gain his attention.

Sakura picked up her old team seven photo and looked to Sasuke, sighing.  
So many time in the last several months had she considered giving up; but when it came down to it, she couldn't.

She soon shook her head of the thought that always turned to Sasuke, and prepared for her shower, finally.

It felt so good to have the water wash over her again, it felt so cleansing, and relaxing, the wash she used over her body giving scents of fruits that tantalised her senses, and made her smile a little.  
And when she was done, she let the shower wash over her like rain.

Rain.

It was raining then.

Raining as shinobi died despite her efforts.

Raining as she witnessed her friend disappear in a flash.

* * *

_"Naruto. We need help over here!" she cried in to her radio mic strapped to her neck._

_In an instant he was in front of her breathing heavily, his back to her, as he watched a scene in front of him as a single Jounin was facing off against several leaf chuunin._

_"Damn it!" he said. "How did they get back here?!"_

_"I don't know, it was like they were waiting for you to leave, and then they attacked, we tried our best but…" Sakura said._

_Naruto looked over his shoulder. "Sakura, back me up, I wanna play a game." He smirked._

_Sakura smirked too._

_Naruto leapt in to action, summoning several clones in mid-air as they all dove in to the action. The chuunin backing away to let Naruto handle this, and moving rapidly to assist others in need, after all this was the hero of the leaf, he could handle a mere Jounin with clones aiding him._

_The Jounin and Naruto fought, his taijutsu dispelling clone after clone, but quickly overwhelmed from all sides, before being kicked by Naruto several feet back, sliding across the slick muddy ground beneath him._

_"Is that all you got?!" the Jounin taunted. But when Naruto smirked he had the sudden feeling drop that he had been set up._  
_He turned and saw Sakura, just as her fist impacted his face, and sent him flying back at Naruto, who had a Rasengan awaiting him, leaping up as the Jounin flew closer, and smashing the rasengan down in to the enemy's front, sending him spinning, and down deep in to the ground._

_Naruto smiled, and gave Sakura a thumbs up when he landed, and then, he realised something._

_"Sakura… where's Hinata?" he asked, looking around. "She was supposed to stay with you!"_

_"I know, I'm sorry, but we got separated." She said. "There was this other Jounin and…"_

_Naruto closed his eyes, and calmed himself, before a few moments later the skin around his eyes turned red, and he opened his eyes revealing the yellow eyes of the toad sage mode._

_He looked around, and stretched out his sage chakra searching._

_"Found her, she's figh…" he stopped suddenly. Sakura moved around to look at his face, it looked confused. "What is…"almost like a realisation his eyes grew wide with shock, and then started to contort with fury and concern._

_"N-Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura looked to him, did something happen to Hinata?_

_Naruto grabbed Sakuras arm, and in an instant she was elsewhere, barely missing a punch from some bulking fighter._

_"N-Naruto!" Hinata cried out, happy to see her boyfriend, even in battle._

_"Hinata I want you out of here!" he cried out. "NOW!"_

_Hinata was taken aback, why did he want her, was he THAT concerned for her._

_"Sakura, keep her back!" he cried out to his pink haired teammate._

_The bulking man just laughed."Too late, little boy." He said with a deep bass filled voice. In a few moments our first sacrifice will decimate the chuunin of the leaf village!" he lunged after Naruto with a succession of punches that should have been too fast for someone of his size to manage._

_"That was why you drew us out here!" Naruto said. "To further weaken the leaf village!" He replied, moving around the motions of the large enemy._

_"Naruto… what's going on?!" Sakura cried out._  
_Naruto, looked around, like he was thinking very fast, planning his next move, his face contorting in pain as Sakura realised he couldn't think of a plan._  
_He suddenly exploded his power as high as he could, creating as many clones as he could safely, almost all of them disappearing using the Hiraishin Jutsu._  
_The remaining dozen jumped on to the hulking man who fought to get them off._

_The real Naruto then moved up to Sakura, looking nervous._

_"Naruto…" Sakura said, she knew something was up._

_"I have no time. Look after Hinata for me, please, she's going to need you." He said._

_"Why?" Sakura said, concerned._

_"Naruto?!" Hinata said, over hearing._

_Naruto turned to her and instantly grabbed her face in his hands and kissing her deeply on the lips, as a few tears began to appear._  
_"You've made me so happy, Hinata. I wish there was another way." He said._

_"Naruto, you're scaring me." She said, as Naruto backed away, and pulled out a tri pronged Kunai knife, it was similar to his fathers, though the handle was orange, and was smaller, the side prongs not sticking out so much either._

_Sakura saw him look at Hinata, moving his eyes from her face and down._  
_She almost frowned that the perv was eyeing up Hinata up at that moment, but her concern kept that back._

_The next thing she knew was Naruto had thrown the kunai high in to the air, and after a final smile he was gone._

_Moments passed, and Sakura looked up trying to see the kunai, only to see a an range speck appearing and disappearing as it got higher and higher until it was beyond the clouds._

_during this, everyone felt something odd, a thickening of the air, and it was coming from… the jounin?!_

_Chakra was building up in him. This is what Naruto saw?! And…_  
_It was then Sakura knew what was going on._

_"No… No…" She said. "YOU IDIOT!" she shouted at the clones._

_"Sakura? What…. What's going on?" Hinata said._

_But before she could answer the clones vanished and she looked up waiting to see._

_Hinata looking too._

_"Hinata?" Came a voice, it was Kiba and Shino calling from a distance, as the heiress turned and moved closer to join them, but before she got too far, she stopped as the whole area was covered in a vast flash of light, the sky opening up far above them pierecing the clouds, and pushing them away, followed moments later, by the rumble of an explosion, followed by wind, hot on the skin, pushing the rain away, as if it had stopped, and then, silence._

_Eyes looking skyward, as they all knew it. Sakura felt it deep inside her, the anguish of Naruto, the sense of his life fading from the world as if crying out for one last attempt to cling to them, physically pulling at their bodies almost, before it ebbed and tears appearing in many, as disbelief fell hard, denial of what they had witnessed._

_Sakura's emerald eyes darted over, across several metres to her raven haired comrade, as she watched her collapse to her knees, Kiba and Shino rushing to her side._  
_Her eyes once again darted upwards, as her vision blurred from tears, her body tensing, her fists clenching, her chest tightening before a scream escaped, and the rain returning_

_"NARUTOOOOOOOO!"_

Sakura gasped as she stepped out of the stream of water, the memory hitting her so strongly, as if it had just happened all over again.  
Her back pressed against the wet tiles of the shower, and she couldn't hold it back as she slid down, crying on the floor, burying her face in her hands.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hospital, one of the many shinobi who had been injured was laying back in his bed thinking. His family had visited him earlier that day to see how he was, and he was glad to see them, but kept talk of the mission to himself.

He had met the hero of the leaf, and he had given him on of his Hiraishin tags for the duration of the mission. He had been so excited. He had grown up thinking Naruto was a loser, and never thought he would ever look to the knuckleheaded prankster with admiration, and having that tag, even if it was only for a while felt like such a reasonability and an honour, despite he had given one to a member of a squad of six, meaning there were at least a dozen more handed out, he still felt special.

He looked to the tag, and smiled, knowing it would remind him of the day he met a hero worth looking up to.

As he looked at it, the room strangely began to darken around him, and he suddenly felt a chill, and as he turned…

The cry for help could be heard all the way to the reception.

* * *

**Wow, this was long, like 6000 words, longest single chapter I think I have ever written. Lol.**

**So, a lot more is explained covered of the battle from Kiba's viewpoint, and some of Sakura's. And a greater mystery is touched upon.**

**I hope it didn't bore you, I'm trying to get this flash back style of storytelling right, and hoping that as it comes together, and the story progresses the whole story of the final battle is revealed.**  
**Who were these Jounin? What exactly caused that explosion? How much did Naruto actually know about them? Who gave him the intelligence?**

**Hopefully more will be revealed next chapter as friends gather to bid their lost friend a final farewell in 'Chapter 3: In the Shadow of Naruto.'**

**Anyway, please leave reviews, they will help me evolve this story along the main plot line :)**

**Until next chapter, NHFTW!**


	3. In the Shadow of Naruto

**Chapter 3 has arrived, and, it is a funeral chapter.**

**Warning, there is a little hinting towards NaruSaku, but don't freak out, ok?  
**

**Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and any questions, I will try to answer, no plot spoilers, but if you find some things confusing.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter. : )**

* * *

**Chapter 3: In the Shadow of Naruto.**

Her lavender eyes flicked open, snapping shut again when the faint morning light hit them, a small groan of discomfort escaping the lips of Hinata, as she is momentarily blinded by the new day leaking through the blinds covering her window.  
Hinata cautiously opened her eyes slower as light returned once again to her vision, and the ceiling above her coming in to view.

She sighed, as she lay there, staring in to space; Today was a day she didn't want to be awake for; today, was Naruto's memorial service.

For days it had been planned, messages sent far and wide to those who held Naruto in esteem, and the highest regards, and because of this the memorial had been postponed, three times, as new and influential people returned messages of wishing to attend, and because of this, Naruto's memorial was to take place two weeks after every other shinobi who lost their lives on that fateful day.  
Hinata had had mixed feelings about attending, each time a date had been set, wanting to attend, yet at the same time, not.  
She couldn't bear to let go of Naruto, still clasping to the hope that she was dreaming a nightmare of great clarity that only the fact Naruto was dead made it feel less real.

But, every day she grew less convinced that she was living this hated nightmare, and more accepting of the horrid fact that she had indeed lost the one she loved the dearest.

A knock came at her door, breaking her from her silent gaze of the ceiling, and turning her head to the side, looking towards the doorway.

"Hinata? Are you up?" Came Hanabi's voice. "It is nearly eleven in the morning."

"Eleven?" she muttered to herself. "Two hours…" At one in the afternoon Naruto's memorial would take place, a time chosen so that the organisers could set up for the sheer number that would attend, and not just those deemed 'important in position and title'.  
From what she had heard, despite the number from the village, there would also be the Kage's and their entourages', several nobles, including the Daimyo himself, and several personal friends he had made on missions, dating back to his earliest missions.

Hinata achingly sat up in bed.

"I… am up, Hanabi." She finally replied. "Could you… prepare the shower for me?"

"Already done." Hanabi replied, opening the door a little. "How… how are you feeling?"

Hinata gave her sister a small smile in reply. It was solemn, but it helped.  
Hanabi had been such a good sister lately, spending time with Hinata as much as she could, and despite it was a tragedy that caused them to interact this way, it had made them closer than ever.

Hinata and Hanabi had never really been close for many reasons; their roles in the clan being a major one.  
Hanabi had replaced Hinata in their father's eyes, as she had been less meek, and more focused on the training she had been put through than her elder sister had ever been, and to Hinata, Hanabi had been the favourite of Hiashi's because of it, while she had been tossed to the side for her failures.  
Though Hanabi's opinions had been the opposite, and jealous of Hinata, who she saw as being given leniency, and an easier life, while she had to endure hard training and constantly watched by her father, her freedom lacking anything that defined the word; and that had caused resentment.

It was only after the chuunin exams when she learned more of Hinata and Neji's struggles that she had begun to let it go, though much resentment remained, at least until recently.

Hanabi couldn't bear seeing her sister in such a state as she had been in over Naruto's demise, and wanted her happy sister back.

The talks they'd had over the recent fortnight had brought much to light, and closeness they had never shared, making them better sisters, as well as friends.

It also felt to Hinata that Naruto was still somehow helping her, in that weird way he brought people together he had brought together the Hyuuga sisters.

"I feel… awake." Hinata said. It was all she could say. She was awake, beyond that, she didn't know how she felt.

"Well, get in to the shower, and I'll get your dress out." Hanabi said, stepping inside.

"Thank you Hanabi." Hinata said, moving up slowly, and holding her sister in a hug.

"Oh, also, you had a visitor earlier." Hanabi said.

"Who?" Hinata asked, curious.

"Sakura Haruno." She replied. "She said she wanted to talk to you."

"Sakura?!" she muttered. "Did she say what about?"

Hanabi shook her head. "She said she would come by later, before we leave for the memorial."

Hinata nodded, she would find out soon enough.

She stood in the shower head down, letting the water cascade of her long raven hair, and soft skin.  
She still missed Naruto so much, her heart aching. It was only when she was alone that she let herself think about him, the distractions of life had been helping her through this tough time, and she knew Naruto wouldn't want her moping about forever.  
There were still many who were the same, still saddened by the death, haunted by the battle, and those who had moved on easily from the losses.

As she thought of her lost love, the churning in her stomach began, and the all too familiar sensation was building. She hated this happening, convinced it was just stress and the illness that had begun to take root before her final mission.

She stepped out of the shower, and moved to the toilet, upchucking what little she had in her stomach from what little she had eaten the night before.

She heaved a few more times, breathing heavily, before she felt a bit more eased, and returned to the shower, taking some of the water in to her mouth to swill out the taste of vomit, and spitting it to the drain beneath her.

She stood, rubbing her naked abdomen.

Sakura?

Hinata suddenly recalled a reason she could have called in.

* * *

_"Why can't you go to the hospital?" Sakura muttered as she sipped at her tea, as she and Hinata sat at the Haruno family kitchen table, looking worn._

_"I… I want someone I am familiar with to check me out." Hinata replied, just as quietly._

_"If you've been this way since before…" Sakura paused, looking down, keeping back some tears. "You should have been checked out before now."_

_Hinata looked down, sadly. "I haven't… haven't left the house, until today that is."_

_"You too?" Sakura commented quietly._

_There was silence between the two, each holding a cup in their hands, staring at the tea within them._

_"I… I know… I had hoped it would… pass." Hinata eventually said._

_"Could be stress." Sakura said._

_Hinata nodded. "But… I would like it if… you could examine me."_

_"I… I suppose I could… take you and… take some samples for testing." Sakura said, sitting back in her chair, her head leaning back and staring up at the ceiling._

_"Sakura…" Hinata soon spoke up. "Can I… ask you a question… a-about… Naruto?" Hinata said the name quietly._

_Sakura didn't move, and silently looked blankly upwards, until finally. "Sure…"_

_"I always wondered if… you ever… you know… returned his… feelings." She had always been nervous of that answer._

_Sakura sat up straight, and looked to Hinata. "Does it matter?" she asked._

_Hinata shook her head. "No." she said. "But… I would like to know."_

_Sakura looked down. "Did he ever tell you I told him I loved him, once?"_

_Hinata looked, surprised. "No."_

_"I was trying to protect him because of a promise I made him give." She said. "I wanted him to give up going after Sasuke, so… I told him I loved him, and would be with him, if he gave up." Sakura sighed. "Naruto saw through it though."_

_Hinata looked to Sakura who returned to staring at her tea. "I felt hurt that day too. It was at that moment I realised… I still loved Sasuke… but… I could so easily love Naruto too, if I gave it a chance."_

_Hinata looked shocked. "Did you?"_

_Sakura looked to her. "Not as long as Sasuke lived." She said. "I loved Naruto as my friend… my dumbass brother." She giggled at the end, smiling at the thought, despite tears began to run down her cheeks. "I… I never gave him a chance. And then he found you… and I was happy for him… and jealous of it too…" Sakura began to cry more, as Hinata moved closer, and placed a hand on Sakura's, despite Hinata own tears began to fall. "I'm sorry." Sakura added as she covered her face with her free hand, wiping the tears as she tried to control her crying._

_"I… I was always jealous of you." Hinata said. "You always had his attention, growing up."_

_Sakura turned to Hinata, who was looking down, and moved closer herself, and the two wrapped their arms around each other to hug, as they cried._

_"I… miss him Sakura… so much." Hinata cried._

_"Me too…" Sakura responded.  
_

* * *

They had cried for some time after that, before cleaning up and heading to the hospital.  
Hinata had noted that Sakura was feeling uneasy as she entered, but put on a brave face as she walked through, and nurse and doctors all greeted her, and asked how she was.  
Hinata felt it was good for Sakura to have so many treat her so nicely.  
She herself had Hanabi mostly, and Sakura had her family, but that seemed like family duty, and strangers, and friends seemed more… helpful.

It was a short while later that tests had been done on Hinata, and Sakura had them sent off.  
The worst was, she looked thin, and out a little unnourished.

After the shower, Hinata dried and dressed herself in the black dress she was to wear to the ceremony, and anxiously awaited in the dining area, with a cup of tea, and a small piece of cake, to see if Sakura would return before she had to leave.

What could be wrong with her?

Could she be seriously ill?

Her stomach churned again, as she waited. Her nerve were getting to her, but before it troubled her too much she heard "Lady Hinata, you have a guest."

Hinata looked up, and saw one of the young maids knelt on the floor at the doorway, bowing.

"Oh! Ummm… please show them in." she quickly replied.

The maid nodded and quickly brought Sakura in, and poured her some tea from the pot on the table.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled, the maid nodding, pleased for the response, before leaving them to their business.

Silence filled the room, as Hinata nervously played with her teacup, and Sakura sipped at her own.

"S-so. I… I assume this is about… my examination?" Hinata eventually asked. "Is… it serious?"

Sakura looked to her. "No… and yes." She said.

"W-what does that mean?!" Hinata gasped, her eyes darting to Sakura, her cup dropping out of her hands the little distance to the table.

"You're… not sick." Sakura said, biting her lower lip, unsure of how to continue; an action that made Hinata even more nervous.

"S-Sakura… please, tell me!" Hinata pleaded.

"Your test results showed you're…" Sakura hesitated, the suspense killing Hinata. Unintentionally though, as Sakura was gathering her strength. "This is… poorly timed." She added.

"Sakura…" Hinata pleaded.

"You're… pregnant." Sakura said. "Your sickness is morning sickness, exasperated with the stress."

Hinata was struck silent, her whole body frozen like a statue.

"Your physical condition, through stress and lack of nourishment, is not at its best though." Sakura went on. "You need to start taking care of yourself, or you could run the risk of…"  
Sakura looked down, not wanting to say it. She was already too emotional, there was a connection to Naruto living inside Hinata's womb, a foetus, but the son or daughter of Naruto Uzumaki.

Hinata was still frozen in place, but eventually muttered. "But we… only did it… once!"

Sakura blinked, and her mouth began to curl at the sides, as a few tear ran down her cheek, before she began to snigger.

Hinata blinked, and slowly moved to look at Sakura as she began to laugh.

"W-What is so funny?!" Hinata soon asked, not seeing the joke.

"Trust Naruto." She said. "The first thing he gets right on the first try involves doing something perverted!" she laughed.

Hinata thought about it, not quite finding the humour out of Naruto knocking her up, but as she watched Sakura laugh, she started to smile too, and find the humour of it all.

After a short while, Sakura smiled.

"So… that was it." Sakura said.

"Hmm?" Hinata blinked.

"What he saw." Sakura said.

"He saw?"

"Naruto." Sakura replied. "On that last day, when he searched for you using his sage mode. He must have seen the spark of life growing in you."

Hinata looked to her, and tears welled up in her eyes. "So… he… he died…"

"Protecting his family." She said. "He was probably the happiest man alive that day."

Hinata, reached down, placing her hand on her abdomen. "His… family." She muttered, closing her eyes. "Oh… Naruto."

* * *

It was nearing the time the memorial service was to begin, and the crowds were already gathering around the base of the Hokage building, many were just there to stand and pay respects to the one they knew as the Hero of the leaf.  
Everyone else, friends, and 'important' people all were on the roof area, chairs placed for many, and for the rest, standing room. All faced a decorated table, with a large photograph of Naruto smiling. The last photo he took for his updated shinobi file.

Everyone there were all dressed in funeral clothing, and wearing black bands around their arms, and looking sad, and forming groups as they talked.  
Many talked about Naruto, old times, funny times, hard times, and just about his indomitable personality.  
There were laughs and tears amongst them all, no more so than from his closest friends.

Hinata and Sakura were stood together, along with Kiba, Akamaru and Shino. Sai too was stood too, and seemed the most notably different. His usual smile he wore to make others feel comfortable was gone, he had confessed when they had met up that his efforts felt like lying, when he felt his bond was burning.  
Sakura understood, that despite his emotionless demeanour, he was hurting at Naruto's loss also.

Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru would soon walk up and join them, Ino hugging Sakura for comfort, and then Hinata.  
She knew they were both deeply wounded by this loss, Hinata for her love, and Sakura, for her best male friend.

Other would join them, the remaining rookies all gathered, even Sasuke had arrived, though he kept back, and stood up front staring at a picture of Naruto that had been set out for the ceremony.  
Karin too, as an Uzumaki had come. In part, for Sasuke, but also, for Naruto.

After the war, she and the rest of Sasuke's team had stuck around Konoha, when Sasuke wasn't on mission duty, and in that time, she had gotten to know her fellow Uzumaki.

It was tense at first, as Naruto's and Sasuke rivalry meant she would tease the blonde to make Sasuke sound superior, causing Naruto to respond with his own manner of replies.  
But, over time, they had gotten to meet each other privately, and talk.

Neither Karin, nor Naruto knew much of the Uzumaki clan, as the clan was so wide spread and so few, it was hard to have any history to run off besides a few stories that were told.

She even teased Naruto about his blonde hair, and Naruto joking he might have looked good with red hair. Of course when Karin joked about dying his hair, he decided against it, and it became a joke between them.

She smiled, as she looked at the picture of her fallen clan mate, and then to Sasuke who was frowning as he stared at Naruto's photograph.

"Idiot…" he mumbled. "Stupid… knuckleheaded… idiot."

"Sasuke?" Karin asked, him, putting a hand on his arm.

He looked to her, and then moved away from the picture.

Sakura had noticed him walking in, and how he stood. She could tell he was feeling something, his confident posture was shaky, barely keeping it up, the tension high in his palms, showed he was angry, and she knew why.  
Naruto was his greatest rival… but also, the closest person he had to a brother, how could he not be affected by his loss.

Before she could go over to him, the call came out for everyone to take their seats, as the memorial service was about to begin.

At the front, Hinata, as his beloved, was given a seat, along with Sakura, Kakashi, Sai and Sasuke.  
His closest friends took seats going back in the rows, as important figures were also given front row seats, such as the kage's,, the Daimyo, some nobles, and a guest who had come the furthest.

After his mission with her, they had written when they could, becoming pen pals. Even during his training mission he had managed to visit her. He had been, and still was a big fan of hers, and she had become a fan of his, as well as a close and dear friend; Princess Koyuki.

She was already finding it hard to hold back the tears that were swelling up in her, wishing secretly Naruto hadn't gotten in to her heart so many years ago.

Other girls were scattered throughout the seated, and standing rooms, as well as others who Naruto had known, fought alongside, and always befriended in the end.

Fellow Jinchuuriki, B was stood nearby, not wanting to sit, and instead try to look cool, despite under his shades his eyes were filled with sadness, the eight tails within him, the only one to understand his feelings.

So many had turned out for this, it was an amazing sight to behold, the funeral of a Hokage who never took his seat within the village.

Perhaps the one person who was hit as hard as his closest friends was the current Hokage, Tsunade.  
When she first heard the news, she had spent days ignoring it, treating it as just another loss of a village asset, another shinobi.

She threw herself in to her work like never before, but every moment she grew steadily worse, angrier, at first; discipline was swift, and often harsh, if not for Shizune calming her down.  
Her drinking escalated, and when she showed up to the office one afternoon having skipped the morning, she was so drunk, she passed out, and Shizune had to take her home.

But still, she refused to acknowledge the loss, or the connection.

* * *

_"Lady Tsunade, please!" Shizune begged her sensei as she watched her frantically searching for another bottle of… anything!_

_"Get me a… DRINK!" she cried out. "I NEED a damn DRINK!"_

_"No!" Shizune shook her head._

_Tsunade cried out in anger as she went through everything, until she finally found a bottle tucked away._

_Shizune went for it too, the two women struggling for control of the bottle._

_"GET OFF!" Tsunade growled._

_"No!" Shizune said. "I won't let you drink yourself to death like this!"_

_Tsunade pushed her off, hard, Shizune slamming her back against the wall with a thud._

_"AAHH!" she cried out as she slid down. "He… wouldn't want you like this…" she groaned as she hit the floor._

_Tsunade had almost brought the bottle to her lips when Shizune said that, her lips quivering._

_"He's gone…" Shizune said. "I know you have suffered this twice before... But please… Naruto would not want you to go back to how you were."_

_Tsunade looked over to Shizune, and then to the bottle, before she dropped to her knees._  
_She was a mess, she knew it. The 'brat' she adored like a kid brother… perhaps more like a son, was gone, and she had never told him how important he was to her. Sure, they talked, he even came to her on occasion for 'advice' concerning Hinata, and other things, they even had dinner together, every Wednesday, at her insistence, so she knew at least one day he was eating a proper healthy meal._

_The bottle dropped to the ground the contents pouring out, as Tsunade placed her hands over her face and broke down, crying all that she had kept back for days, the anger, the pain, everything.  
Shizune moving over, not caring she was kneeling in alcohol as she wrapped her arms around her depressed sensei, comforting her as best she could.  
_

* * *

That was some time ago now, it seemed. She was stood at the very front, facing everyone who had gathered, sober and straight, but with a forlorn expression upon her face.

"We are gathered here on this sad day to pay tribute and a final farewell to our fallen comrade, and friend, Uzumaki Naruto." She began, her duty feeling a little forced as she tried not to cry herself. "Usually, at memorials, you tell people how good the… deceased person is. Their achievements through their life, and how they affected us. But, Naruto was the kind of person where if you knew him, you would already know that. He wasn't shy about a few boasts, claiming loudly he'd be Hokage one day, or that he had beaten strong opponents. I'm sure a few of you know that first hand." A few smiles, and chuckles came from that especially from those who had fought Naruto before becoming friends. Though Sasuke just tensed up, and looked down, Sakura glancing over to him, as she saw the sadness he was trying to keep off of his face.

"Naruto would have been Hokage, a dream he had kept alive inside of him since he was a small boy." Tsunade continued. "I… loved Naruto like family… I… I'm proud to say that, and many here can easily say that they loved him too, and that a great void has been left where his smile would once shine. For those who knew him he was the sweetest, and kindest of people. For others, he was a powerful, respected shinobi. And what is certain, is if you knew him, you would miss him."

The atmosphere dropped as she spoke, the feeling of loss rising amongst his closest friends, and beyond.

"He's gone." resumed Tsunade after a pause to gather herself. "He gave his life to protect, which was just like him. So, let us all give a moment of silence in memory of Naruto Uzumaki. Hero, comrade, friend… family."  
Tsunade looked down, a tear escaping her eye.

As the whole gathering grew silent, a great pressure began to build up. The Kage's, and sensitive shinobi all opening their eyes as the pressure built up.

"What's going on?!" Tsunade said, as the whole area began to grow dark around them.

The kage, daimyo and other nobles were quickly surrounded in a defence, expecting an attack, the feeling of chakra building.

Sounds of screaming could be heard from far below, several of the group running to the edge to look down.

Below them the crowd cried out, pointing up, but in the clear daylight, whatever this black mass was, it was only around the rooftop.  
What they couldn't see, was the blackness was a large shadowy mass that was convulsing and changing shape, several tendrils coming out of it, and flailing around in the air, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, it dispersed, and the light of day returned to the rooftop.

"What the heck just happened?!" Tsunade growled, furious that this day had been interrupted in such a manner. "If this was someone's idea of a joke, I want them found, and I'll HAVE THEM TORN APART!" she screamed, tears in her eyes.  
It was evident to every one of her pain, and though she had lost her composure, when she was quickly calmed by Shizune, no one said a word against her reaction, most of them feeling the same anger she did.

The following minutes passed with orders of investigation, getting witness accounts from everyone there, and from the ground.

While this went on, groups formed, talking to each other again.

"Hey, Hinata, are you feeling ok?" Ino asked.

"Hmm? Oh! Yes." Hinata said, smiling quietly.

"You don't seem too well." Ino asked.

"I… I haven't been… feeling my best, but… Sakura says I'm… well, I just need to eat more." She said.

Ino smiled. "Good. I'm glad you're up and around again. Maybe… if you wanted, we could have tea some time."

Hinata blinked, she had been out for tea with Ino before, in a group with the other girls, but just her an Ino! She smiled, and nodded. "I would enjoy that." She said.

Ino smiled, pleased. She and Hinata had never been very close. Hinata was shy and didn't fit her fun-time-girl nature, or boisterous attitude, like Sakura But she felt she should try more. Like Naruto, try and be open to others, and make everyone your friend, and perhaps find greater happiness. Perhaps there was a lot in her life she should move past.  
She had always considered Naruto a loser, when they were younger, yet, over the years he had impressed her. Sure, he was a pervert, but, he was so much more too, and since his death, she had thought about him a lot, and how he always seemed happy despite everything, and, though none of her friends knew, how she wished she had that same ability.  
She had long discovered that her looks only got her so far, and when it was all she thought she has, she attracted the types who were only interested in it too.

And it felt hollow.

So now, she hoped she could change, in Naruto's memory, and her first step, get closer to friends she already had.

All the while Sakura glanced over to Sasuke, alone, mostly, though Karin stayed a little close.  
He looked so alone though, his glances towards Naruto's picture evidence of who he was thinking of.

She would take a deep breath, and hesitantly took a step, and approached Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder when she was close enough, to get his attention, but also to give some comfort.  
She understood that Sasuke would be feeling it just as much as he had when his clan was gone.

Sasuke just turned his head for a moment to see who was touching him, but said nothing before turning back.

"Sasuke…" she said a few silent moments later, forcing out a small smile for him. "I'm… here if you want to talk. This isn't… 'easy' for anyone, but if I can hel…"

Sasuke tensed and turned to Sakura with a frown, which surprised Sakura, and confused her, what had she said?

"Are you seriously trying to use this as a way to get closer to me?!" he said, annoyed.

The accusation shot through Sakura, piercing through her heart like a blunt kunai, the breath stolen from her as she gasped at his words. A few tears appearing in her eyes, filling with heartbreak, before contorting to pained anger that he would think she would try to get herself closer to him using the death of her closest friend.

The smack that followed was loud enough that everyone around them heard, stopping all chatter, and turning to the source only to see Sasuke's face turned to the side, a red mark on his cheek, and Sakura's open hand in the air, stopping after the motion it had just swiftly taken; her face still contorting back and forth between anger and trying not to cry.

"You… bastard." She said, her voice cracking at the end, as her eyes welled up, and tears starting to roll down her cheek as she turned and walked away in a fast pace, pushing aside a few before others simply stepped out of her way, leaving Sasuke blinking, and surprised at the fact Sakura, after all these years had slapped him across his face.

Several of their friends looked on in amazement. None of them had heard what had been said between them, nor what had caused the outburst, but for Sakura to slap the last Uchiha like that, the man she had crushed on since her early academy days, and had never stopped pining for throughout his entire missing-nin years, it was enough to know he had just done something completely out of order.

Ino shot Sasuke a glare as she followed her best friend a few moments later.

Sasuke seeing this as he straightened up, still in total shock, his mouth open a little as if he wanted to say something back in response, but unable to speak it out loud.

* * *

The moon was full that night, the strange occurrence, and the memorial itself, had left a heavy hanging atmosphere throughout the village.

What had the dark mass been, no one could figure it out, nor its intention. A genjutsu? Nothing seemed out of place, for it to be a distraction. It couldn't have been an attack, because no one was directly hurt by it.  
It seemed almost a pointless act. But, it had caused a stir, and could not be taken lightly until the culprit behind it was found.

Sakura lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had done it so much lately, she could describe every bump and crack in her immediate gaze with ease.  
But, it was usually to stop her mind from wandering that she stared so intently, but tonight, her mind was filled with the day's events; dealing with her final goodbyes to Naruto; Sasuke; and that odd mass.  
She hadn't clicked at the time, but as she thought she had realised, she had seen a similar mass before, that night, in this very room, reaching for her, and scaring her out of her mind.

'In the morning…' she thought to herself 'I'll tell lady Tsunade.'

Though what could she tell her exactly, that a nightmare she had weeks ago and not since was like the mass that had appeared?

She sighed, as she soon turned on to her side. She was exhausted and needed to sleep, but, as she did, she heard a tap at her window.

She shot up, sat and looking at the closed shutter that covered her window, and soon heard a second tap.

She warily reached for the window, and opened it, seeing no one until she was about to look outside, only for Sasuke to suddenly come in to view, making Sakura jump, and roll backwards, and off of bed, crashing to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke frowned as he climbed on to the window ledge, and sat on it, legs still hanging out as he leant against the frame.

"ME?!" Sakura growled as she shot to her feet, annoyed "What are you doing in… my…" Sakura suddenly realised Sasuke was sat in her window, the moon behind him, lighting the side of him, and looking at her intently with his cobalt eyes in an almost dream like scene.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

'N-No… I'm angry at him!' she thought to herself, turning away her view so she could pout and look angry again.

"What do you want?" she asked, arms crossed.

"Could you cover yourself first?" Sasuke said, Sakura's eye snapping open as she realised all she was wearing was a light pink tank top, with a white trim, and matching panties.

Her face exploded with heat, making her turn cherry red, as she grabbed her duvet and pulled it up to her as cover body.

"Naruto you per…." Sakura stopped, and looked down, forgetting it was Sasuke, not Naruto who had seen her. "I mean… Sasuke…"

Sasuke looked down too. "I… miss the dobe."

Sakura looked up, to see Sasuke's face looking sad, his eyes filled with grief. "Sasuke?" she muttered.

His face then contorted to anger.  
"Why? Why did he have to go and get himself killed?" he growled. "WHY?!"

Sakura moved closer, moving the duvet when it got in her way, to be near Sasuke. He was opening up to her, but why?

"Sasuke… he did it because… he wanted to protect everyone." She said. "It's the kind of person he i… was." She corrected herself, painfully.

"That idiot… we were… supposed to sort out Konoha together… get stronger together…." He said, a tear in his eye. "But no… he had to go get himself beat… get himself… killed."

Sakura moved closer, the duvet falling from around her torso, and held Sasuke on the ledge, as his voice trembled, and broke, despite he was trying to sound angry, he was just in pain.

"I'm here for you Sasuke, you can talk to me." She said, the next words feeling harder than they should. "I'm your friend, no matter what you need, I will be hear for you for whatever reason. Cry if you need to, scream at me if you need to… hit… hit me if you need to."

The last words made Sasuke flinch. Hit her? He looked at his hands as she held him, they were both tightly balled in to a fist, and he hadn't even realised. Yes he was angry, and yes he wanted something to hit, but for Sakura to volunteer to let him take those frustrations out on her?

It was Naruto he wanted to hit; but he was dead.

It was Naruto's killer, he wanted to hit; but he was dead too!

And Sakura was saying she would take that violent act upon herself?!

Sasuke's hand began to relax, and open, the redness of his palms showing just how taut his fist had been, and moved his arm around Sakura, instead, to hold her.

"Idiot." He muttered.

Despite the insult, it didn't feel like it had malice behind it, and they just held each other for comfort, for what seemed an eternity, before Sakura shivered a little from the night air.

"I'm letting the cold in." he said. "I should go."

Sakura's eyes flickered open, and she felt her heart sink a little, she was ashamedly enjoying the embrace.

"Ok." She said, reluctantly, as he hesitantly broke the hug. "But… if you ever need to talk, or another hug…" she blushed a little. "I'm here."

Sasuke nodded, and gave her a small smile.  
Though when he didn't move, and just looked down, an awkward silence rose up.

Sakura fidgeted inside her reapplied duvet cover, wondering why he hadn't left.

"Are you… ok?" she asked.

Sasuke looked down. "I don't really… feel like being alone tonight."

"What about Karin?" Sakura looked away.

"She's already asleep." He said. "And Suigetsu and Juugo snore."

"Full house?" Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded.

Sakura bit her lip. "You could…" she said.

"You sure?" Sasuke replied, perhaps a little too knowingly.

Sakura blushed and smiled, nodding.  
Sasuke then slipped in to her room. "Thanks." He said, as he closed the shutters behind him.

* * *

**Another chapter done, yay!**

**A lot has happened, and yes, Hinata is pregnant with Naruto's baby, for those who guessed correctly ^^ which only causes more issues next time.**

**And what is with these shadows, many have already speculating, and given their thoughts either in comments or in notes, lol. More about them is to come.**

**And I'm sure the SasuSaku fans amongst you are liking this ending scene, lol. But, this does not mean a lemon next chapter for them… though there may be one for someone else. Who knows, muahahahahahahahaaaa!**

**Anyway, please leave reviews, they will help me evolve this story along the main plot line :)**

**Until next chapter, NHFTW!**


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